The food festival segment was the highest contributor to the market, with $338.6 billion in 2019, and is estimated to reach $560.3 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 17.2% during the forecast period. The culinary tourism market growth can be attributed to rise in instances of people opting for unique and exotic holiday destinations, to get away from the daily hectic schedule and gain valuable experiences.
Private, quite, serene, and exotic locations with a prevalent food culture are the major factors that people consider while choosing their travel location. Regions with large variety of food and drinks that taste unique have been voted as top preference by the travelers. In addition, destinations that are culturally and traditionally intriguing are becoming popular among the affluent travelers, owing to growing interest of people to learn and understand the local culture.
Moreover, rise in exposure of people to different forms of social media has enhanced their knowledge about various trends shaping the tourism industry. Social media is increasingly becoming a pseudo-travel agent. Customers are increasingly opting for travel services and products by taking advice from the people who have either stayed or traveled there before. They also refer to reviews and insights detailed on various social networking sites. Views and opinions shared on sites offer better transparency with respect to products and thus, encourage travelers to make bookings for their preferred travel location.
However, political unrest and terrorism have affected the overall volume of foreign trips and choice of destination and are the major restraining factors for the culinary tourism market. On the contrary, increase in affordability and convenience in finding accommodation is expected to encourage budget travelers to tour more often, and make way for growth of the culinary tourism market.
Food Tourism: Travelling to Obtain Food
